Does America Need a Collegial Nice Guy, or a Hard Nosed Leader?

For about two years, our “ship of State”, the U.S.S. American Nation, has been captained by President Donald Trump. During this two year “voyage” our nation has seen what many of its “passengers” perceive to be major improvements in real wages, in jobs, and in reduced levels of federal “rules and regulations” that were strangling our economy under our previous “pseudo-Captain”. We’ve seen confidence among our people increase as patriotism has increased under our Republican, populist, and nominally conservative President Trump. We’ve seen our stalwart ‘captain’ try hard to “Make America Great Again” by strengthening our military, revising various trade treaties with other nations (a few of which are actually friends with us), and cajoling our sometimes reluctant “allies” to shoulder their fair share of the burdens of protecting and maintaining freedom in a threatening world composed of governments that don’t view freedom in the same light as do Americans.

If “The Past is Prologue,” What Is The Present?

First off, let’s define the word: “prologue”. Webster’s defines it as ‘an introductory or preceding event or development’. In a literary work it is often called a ‘preface’, a commentary or explanation that the author includes to clarify the story or the facts that are to follow. The term, ‘the past is prologue’, tells us that, in real life, almost EVERYTHING can bea prologue—or a causative event-- to whatfollows it. Thus, my responding to my “four-legged alarm clock” at 6:30 a.m., and dragging myself out of bed this morning, was my ‘prologue’ to going to work and serving my customers. That’s a fairly easy concept to grasp. What is more complicated to fathom is how the past of each one of us—I mean the really “long, long ago past”—has affected who we are, into what family we were born, and even in what country we originated. Now that’s kind of deep, isn’t it? In addition, it’s quite fascinating to “conjecture” various “present scenarios” resulting from a series of “past prologues” that might have occurred, but didn’t.

Fathers and Sons – A Lesson

A long time ago—in August of 1955 to be exact—I survived my fraternity’s “Hell Week” initiation at the university I attended. Oh, what stories I could tell of that sleep-deprived and harrowing week, and of the month or two period of “pledging” that preceded it. But I won’t bore you with my youthful adventures. I’ve stayed close to one of my fraternity brothers from that pledge “class”, and periodically he or his wife send me interesting articles gleaned from the internet. I’ve shared some of them with you, my readers, in both the now extinct print version of The Times Examiner, and also now in the new digital format. This time they sent me what may be one of the most intense and movinglessons I’ve ever read. Perhaps you’ll feel the same way as I share it with you.

God’s Ways or Man’s Ways? The “Tablecloth’s” Story

Well, just who does decide the fate of the universe, the locations of the stars, the courses of the seasons, the history and direction of mankind, the countries men and women inhabit, and the final destination of the lives of each and every one of us? Who decides? Who directs? Who, if anyone, is really in control?

For Unto Us A Child Was Born

In a few days most of the Christian world will celebrate the birth of the Savior of Mankind, Jesus The Messiah, the Christ long prophesied and awaited by the Jews of old, and rejoiced over by all who are “called by His Name”, i.e. “Christians”. Jews have long denounced Him as a deluded blasphemer at worst, and a “fraud” at best, and are still awaiting their “messiah”. Christians over all the ages have celebrated His Coming as the fulfillment of prophesy, particularly that of Isaiah 53, written at least seven centuries before our Savior appeared among men.

Political Correctness Is Tyranny With Manners!

The title to this article is a direct quote from one of my heroes, the late, great Charlton Heston (1923-2008). Before delving into this vexing subject, let me make the observation that “political correctness” in the U.S. is no longer “mannerly”, and is often identified with mob violence, attacks on free speech, destruction of property, and a host of other unlawful or anti-social actions increasingly associated with both the slavish supporters of The New Bolshevik Party (formerly Democrats) and the truly brain damaged and violent fascist adherents of the FASCIST MOB that incorrectly calls itself “Anti-Fascist”, or ANTIFA, a despicable group of leftist misfits, druggies, malcontents, and losers financed by that sinister funder of fascism, George Soros, and other vastly wealthy and treasonous gnomes of international finance!

A Happy Christmas to You All

A “happy Christmas?” What happened to “Merry Christmas”? Back in the halcyon days of our cultural innocence and our racial/gender/transgender/non-mulicultural/age/class/political/religious/ educational “insensitivities”, Americans thought nothing of wishing their friends and family a “Merry Christmas”. I still do so, and I refuse to capitulate to those liberal and progressive “moonbats” and their brain damaged, guano-producing flock in our midst who consider me to be hopelessly old fashioned, culturally elitist, set in my ways, and unwilling to change. To those accusations I proudly andwithout apology plead “guilty”. Period—end of discussion!

History's Hope

Those of you who have read my columns in the now “extinct” print copy version of The Times Examiner know how much I love classical music. However, I also enjoy other genres of music, particularly the “Big Band” music of the 1930’s and 1940’s, Dixie Land jazz, the music of George Gershwin, the music of Sigmund Romberg and Rogers and Hammerstein from their great Broadway musicals over many years; and I adore the music of George M. Cohan, that “Yankee Doodle Dandy” who wrote hundreds of great songs for his musicals over the decades that stretched over the first half of the 20th century. And of course I love the music of the Christian Church, which is a musical genre all its own. All of these glorious melodies were written during “the good old days” when music was “musical”. Too bad that it isn’t so in our day and age.

Before I begin this plunge into the heart of liberal dogma, let me state for the record that I am not against a degree of legal, restricted, andneedfulimmigration. The vast majority of Americans living today had ancestors who emigrated from some other country and into the U.S. in the past. I am one of them, for both my maternal grandfather and grandmother came, LEGALLY, from the country of Croatia early in the 20th century, and I’m grateful that they did. America has been peopled by, and generally benefitted from, immigrants who came here from mostly European countries (with some exceptions) over much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Except for some of the immigrants from Oriental nations, these European immigrants usually assimilated quickly, or at least their children did, and most became naturalized, proud and useful Americans, the vast majority of whom contributed much more to our nation that they took from it. Unfortunately, the same cannot honestly be claimed in regards to the disparate dregs of humanity who, legally or mostly otherwise, are entering our nation today.

Thanksgiving Thoughts for Our Time: A.D. 2018

“…Pilgrim history (is) a story which has no end. It will end only if people suffer a failure of nerve in the quest for basic human rights. It can honestly be said that ALL who cherish freedom are Pilgrim descendants.” (PILGRIMS THEN AND NOW, by Rev. Gary Marks, Plymouth, Mass.) (1990)

I’ve stood several times on the top of Cole’s Hill, overlooking the historic harbor at Plymouth, Mass. Below this ancient but now “manicured” hill lies the rock, Plymouth Rock, underneath a beautiful marble canopy. Out in the harbor is the spot where, in the miserable late Fall of November, 1620, about 102 stalwart people, plus crew, arrived in a decrepit 180 ton converted freighter named Mayflower. Cole’s Hill, at that time, was a craggy bluff overlooking a small rocky beach just big enough for a landing party in a small “shallop”.

Whose Side Are We On In This Battle?

“And he said, Hearken ye all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou, King Jehoshaphat: Thus saith the Lord unto you, Fear you not, neither be afraid for this great multitude: FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S.” (2nd Chronicles 20:15-17: 1599 Geneva Bible).

For those who are unaware, the 1599 Geneva Bible was THE Bible used by our Pilgrim Forefathers (they didn’t like the KJV). Certainly it was read and preached from during the hazardous and tedious 66-day voyage from England to the New World during that increasingly stormy and harsh Fall on the Atlantic Ocean in 1620. Fierce storms and huge waves and wretched living conditions below decks would have turned most modern people back from whence they came. Not so for these 102 stalwart souls who had determined to separate from their old world and, trusting God for guidance and protection, build a new and religiously separate colony in the wilderness of North America.

Is There Really Such a Thing as “Divine Providence?”

That is a question for the ages, isn’t it? Most of us, I’m sure, have heard that term used our entire lives as Christians and as Constitutional Patriots. But what is “Divine Providence”, really, and has it changed the course of mankind’s history over the ages? The Christian blog, “GOT QUESTIONS”, answers the question, “What is Divine Providence?” as follows:

“Divine Providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The Doctrine of Divine Providence asserts that God is in complete control of ALL things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103-19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate.”

The Flight of the “Moonbats”

We’ve all seen them in person or on video: Little flying mammals who come out around dusk in search of insects or fruit to eat. A few of them seek out blood to drink, and are called “vampire” bats. Most people are afraid of bats (which don’t get in your hair), but except for the remote possibility of being bitten by a rabid bat, they are harmless to humans and generally are beneficial to mankind. All except one. The moonbat is truly dangerous to human safety and happiness because it is wingless, cunning, andresorts to perfidy, subterfuge, mendacity, lies, and violence to survive and attack its opponents.

To Be An Ant or A Grasshopper – Upon That Decision Hangs Our Fate As Free People!

I wrote a version of this article for The Times Examiner almost ten years ago, but considering the seriousness of the times we find ourselves living in, and considering the warnings of impending doom staring our historic American Constitutional Republic in its face should the despicable members of The New Bolshevik Party (formerly Democrats) regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives and/or the U.S. Senate in the November 6th, 2018 elections, I thought it imperative to redo the lessons therein, and publish them to a wider audience in the digital version of The Times Examiner. The original “story” is not mine, and my previous article said “author unknown”, and still is. I’ve ‘updated” it so the guilty parties will be immediately recognizable.

Lesson from the Bottom of the Atlantic Ocean

A long time ago (actually in 1956, my second year in university), I took a public speaking class. I really enjoyed that semester, and I’ve done a fair amount of public speaking since those days, an activity that I do enjoy. One of the class assignments was to come up with a “proposal” to accomplish something unusual or difficult, or both. Searching for a suitable topic, I suddenly came up with a “eureka--I have found it” moment. I had recently been reading, for my very first time, about the loss of the passenger liner, Titanic. What better “unusual” topic could there be, in those halcyon days of 1956, then to come up with a proposal to “RAISE THE TITANIC,” which became my talk’s title?

Freedom’s Last Best Hope

The first two lines of James Lowell’s (1819-1891) epic poem, “The Present Crisis”, remind us that: “When a deed is done for Freedom, through the broad earth’s aching breast, Runs a thrill of joy prophetic, trembling on from east to west.”

Various people throughout the world may have a different perception of “freedom” -- i.e. what it means to them – how they define it. The Oxford Dictionary includes what I consider to be pertinent definitions:

The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants;

The absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government;

The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.